Gun sales rise after Colorado Dark Knight Rises movie massacre

Nicole Watson

10:22 AM, Jul 25, 2012

10:23 AM, Jul 25, 2012

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DENVER, Colo. - Firearm sales have increased in the wake of the Colorado movie theater massacre, ABC News reports. Buyers fear that anti-gun politicians may use the shootings to implement new restrictions on owning weapons.

In Colorado, the site of Friday's shooting that killed 12 people injured dozens more, gun sales surged in the three days that followed.

The state approved background checks for 2,887 people who wanted to purchase firearms.

According to the Associated Press, this is 25 percent more than average for the Friday to Sunday period in 2012 and 43 percent more than the same interval the week prior.

Dick Rutan, owner of Gunners Den in Arvada, Colo., said requests for concealed-weapon training certification "are off the hook."

His four-hour course in gun safety, required for certification for a concealed-weapons permit in Colorado, has drawn twice the amount of customers since Friday.

"What they're saying is: They want to have a chance. They want to have the ability to protect themselves and their families if they are in a situation like what happened in the movie theater," Rutan said.

Gun sale numbers have also spiked up in Florida. Florida recorded 2,386 new background checks on Friday, 14 percent more from the week before.

Day-to-day gun sales are looking strong in other states, too. King County in Washington State, the home county of Seattle, saw nearly twice the requests for concealed pistol licenses than the same timeframe a year ago.

In Oregon, sales on Friday and Saturday were up 11 percent. Background checks in California were up 10 percent.

Sales for Adventure Outdoors, a gun shop in Smyrna, Ga., were up 300 percent from the same day a year ago.

Owner Jay Wallace believes customers are often afraid that some lawmakers might try to push an anti-gun agenda.

"We shouldn't let one sick individual make us forget and lose sight of freedoms in this country," Wallace said.

Authorities said suspect James Holmes stockpiled weapons and explosives at work and home in recent months.

He purchased thousands of rounds of ammunition and a shotgun, a semi-automatic rifle and two Glock pistols.

On Friday, he tossed gas canisters and opened fire at a midnight showing of "The Dark Knight Rises."

Twelve people died and dozens more were injured.

Aurora police say Holmes also booby-trapped his apartment. The suspect is now in solitary confinement at a local jail.

The massacre has triggered fierce debates over gun control and if the government should restrict the ownership of firearms.

Some Democratic lawmakers in Congress are using the shooting as evidence of the need for more restrictive gun control laws - including a ban on high-capacity ammunition magazines.

Still, Congress has not passed strict legislation in more than ten years, and leaders in Washington D.C. may not bring up such measures any time soon.